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Hexar lenses
The Hexar lenses were made by Rokuoh-sha, the manufacturing branch of Konishiroku, from 1931. This page will attempt to list the pre-1945 models. Origin and name The first Hexar lens, released in 1931, was designed by Mōri Hirō (毛利広雄). See this page of the R. Konishi website. All the prewar and wartime Hexar lenses have a four-element Tessar formula. The Tele-Hexar certainly has a different formula, probably inspired by the Tele-Tessar. The name Hexar is derived from the Greek radical "hexa" meaning "six". It was adopted after the character roku (六), which means "six" and is the first character of the name of Sugiura Rokuemon VI (6代杉浦六衞門). Hexar lenses for 6.5×9cm and 8×10.5cm hand cameras The Hexar was first made in 11.5cm and 13.5cm focal length for daimeishi (6.5×9cm) and tefuda (8×10.5cm) cameras. It seems that the 11.5cm f/4.5 was quickly replaced by the 10.5cm f/4.5, a focal length which was certainly considered more usual on 6.5×9cm cameras (see Tropical Lily). List: * Hexar Ser.1 10.5cm f/4.5, for 6.5×9cm size, on the Tropical Lily and New Lily * Hexar Ser.1 11.5cm f/4.5, for 6.5×9cm size, on the Tropical Lily * Hexar Ser.1 13.5cm f/4.5, for 8×10.5cm size, on the Tropical Lily, New Lily and Military Lily * Hexar Ser.II f/3.8, focal length unsure, on the Interchangeable Lily Tele-Hexar lenses for hand cameras The Tele-Hexar 30cm f/6.3 is found in leaf shutters, certainly for use on hand cameras. One example is pictured in Baird together with an Interchangeable Lily, in a Compur shutter. Baird, p.82. Another example is known in the same shutter. Lens observed in an online auction. A third example is known in a KTI-Tiyoko shutter made by Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō (predecessor of Minolta), the same as on the Military Lily. Lens owned by a collector. These lenses were perhaps made for military use only. Hexar barrel lenses The Hexar were also offered as barrel lenses. At an unknown date, an advertisement was offering the Hexar f/4.5 lenses in four focal lengths: 5cm (¥35), 7.5cm (¥40), 10.5cm (¥53) and 13.5cm (¥80). Advertisement reproduced in Inoue, p.128 of no.14, and in an incomplete form in Tanaka, p.88 of no.10. The 10.5cm and 13.5cm were presented as suitable for general photography and for enlarging purpose, and the 5cm and 7.5cm were presented as enlarging lenses for smaller format negatives. At least one surviving example of the barrel Hexar Ser.1 13.5cm f/4.5 is known, complete with its original box, inscribed Hexar 1:4.5 f=13.5cm Rokuoh-sha Tokyo MADE IN JAPAN inside the lid. Example pictured in this page of the R. Konishi website. Hexar lenses for other use To be done. Notes Bibliography * Pp.60–1 and 82. * * Inoue, Mitsuo (井上光朗). "Shashin renzu no yoake. Renzu-ya Funsenki" (写真レンズの夜明け・レンズ屋奮戦記, Dawn of the photographic lens — Fierce war tales between lens shops). Pp.128–132. * Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "'Anbako' kara 'ōtofōkasu' he: kamera no hensen to tomo ni ayunda 114-nen" (「暗函」から「オートフォーカス」へ・カメラの変遷と共に歩んだ114年, From 'camera obscura' to 'autofocus': 114 years of camera evolution). Pp.8–13. * Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen (写真とともに百年, 0ne hundred years of photography). Konishiroku Shashin Kōgyō, 1973. Pp.403–4, reproduced in this page of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website]. * Tanaka Masao (田中政雄). "Hekisā F4.5 no tanjō" (ヘキサーF4.5の誕生, The birth of the Hexar f/4.5). Pp.88–9. Links In Japanese: * Pages of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website: ** Hexar Ser.1 13.5cm f/4.5 barrel lens ** Hexar lenses ** Table of lenses designed by Mōri Hirō ** Hexar Ser.II lenses Category: Japanese lenses Category: Konica